Field of the Invention and Description of the Prior Art
This invention relates generally to a combined mailer and return envelope unit, or two-way envelope, which is adapted to be utilized in continuous form formatting and in high speed processing.
By continuous form formatting is meant that the individual mailer and return envelope units are detachably secured together to form a strip of such units which may be stored in the form of rolls or other conventional means. In order to utilize the continuous strips of units in high speed processing equipment, the margins of the strip, which may be detachable, are provided with a row of aligned apertures (commonly referred to as line-holes) which allow the strip to be drawn through a printer or other processing equipment, preferably at high speed.
Mailer and return envelope units, or two-way envelopes of this type are frequently employed in business for the purpose of collecting acounts, obtaining information, soliciting funds, seeking orders etc. The object of a mailer and return envelope unit of the type contemplated is to create, in as simple a manner as possible, a folded mailer which forms a sealed envelope to be used for the transmission of data or the like to a primary addressee, and which, when opened by the primary addressee, provides both a ready to use return envelope component for return to a secondary addressee (usually the original sender), as well as data bearing surfaces which may be retained, if desired, by the primary addressee and/or returned in conjunction with a check, additional data or the like, to the secondary addressee.
In order to induce prompt payment of accounts, or prompt return of solicited information, or the like, it has in the past been the practice for senders to include with statements of account, solicitations or the like, return envelopes for the use of the primary addressee, because experience has shown that the primary addressee frequently does not have suitable envelopes handy for this purpose and will frequently delay or forget return correspondence unless such is provided. Further, even if the primary addressee does have a suitable envelope available, frequently, upon its return to the secondary addressee, the secondary address will be incomplete or erroneous, leading to unnecessary delay, and sometimes complete misdirection in which case the return envelope may never be received by the secondary addressee. These problems are overcome by providing a return envelope which is properly addressed to the secondary addressee. However, the use of a separate envelope in conjunction with a primary mailer tends to be rather expensive, both because a separate and complete envelope unit must be printed and provided, and also because the primary envelope has to be stuffed by hand, or at least with the aid of rather complex and expensive mechanical equipment.
Many attempts have been made to overcome both the need to employ a discrete return envelope with a primary mailer, and also the need to use manual stuffing operations, or at least the complex and expensive mechanical equipment that would be required to stuff a primary mailer with materials including a return envelope. Accordingly, various forms of combined mailer and return envelope units have evolved which have overcome some of the disadvantages of using completely separate primary and return envelopes, but which nevertheless themselves give rise to certain disadvantages. For example, one such mailer and return envelope unit is disclosed in O'Leary et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,942 dated Apr. 27, 1976. This patent relates to a continuous form mailer with integral detachable insert material and return envelope comprised of two overlying sheets of material secured together along peripheral side edges and including an integral return envelope portion and a detachably removable invoice-receipt portion and an insertable return stub material portion. The complete assembly serves as a primary envelope which is capable of being snapped apart by the primary addressee to open the primary envelope and to separate the return envelope portion from the invoice-receipt and return stub portions. One of the disadvantages of this form, apart from the fact that it must be formed of two separate sheets which must be appropriately aligned in overlying relationship and secured together to form the primary envelope, is that the upper sheet must be provided with an internal layer of transfer material so that data might be appropriately printed through the external ply onto one of the internal surfaces when the assembly is run through a printer for the application of data to be communicated to the primary addressee. Such transfer material is relatively expensive in itself, and its application to the internal surface of the upper ply of the two ply assembly involves a separate processing step which substantially increases the cost of the overall assembly.
The Cone U.S. Pat. No. 2,895,664 dated July 21, 1959 shows a mailer and return envelope assembly which does not require the use of transfer material on an internal surface of the primary assembly for the transfer of data to another internal surface, but contemplates that the data will be printed on one surface which will be covered by a folded over portion which is then appropriately adhesively secured to form the primary envelope. However, the folded over portion, when the primary envelope is opened, is utilized as the return envelope, and, for this purpose, the folded over portion comprises two layers of material which must be appropriately aligned and secured together before the primary envelope is formed. Again, this involves a separate processing step which tends to increase the cost of the assembly and also increase its complexity.
The Drake U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,430 dated Apr. 10, 1979 discloses a modified form of mailer and return envelope assembly which is somewhat similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,895,664, in that it contemplates folding a single sheet upon itself to form the primary envelope, although one portion of the sheet so folded over is itself provided with an overlying layer of material which forms an internally disposed return envelope portion when the main sheet is folded upon itself to produce the primary envelope. Accordingly, this construction is subject to the same disadvantages as those inherent to the construction of U.S. Pat. No. 2,895,664.
The Henry et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,132 discloses a mailer and return envelope assembly which is formed of a single sheet of material appropriately shaped, folded, and folded upon itself so as to provide a primary envelope and, when opened in the correct manner by the primary addressee, may also be used to form a return envelope. However, this envelope is intended to be utilized with separate contents (as opposed to the envelope assembly itself bearing the data to be communicated to the primary addressee) and the assembly blank is of complex shape with the production of the envelope involving rather complex folding and sealing operations. An envelope of this type is not suited to utilization with high speed processing equipment, and, indeed, the assembly disclosed in the patent is not adapted for use with a high speed printer in its combined mailer and return envelope format.